Tampa,FL : Five dead in Polk County plane crash on December, Sunday 24th 2017
The flight from Polk County to Key West takes about 45 minutes, and John Shannon had it all laid out: Christmas Eve with his beloved daughters in paradise.
They would take off early Sunday and have breakfast, then lunch, before heading home at night and preparing for the holiday. He excitedly described the plan to a fellow lawyer in court last week.
Sunday morning, Shannon, 70, was in the cockpit of his Cessna 340 preparing to fly away with his daughters, 24-year-old Olivia Shannon and 26-year-old Victoria Shannon Worthington. Victoria’s husband, Peter Worthington Jr., 27, and family friend Krista Clayton, 32, were also on board.
A dense fog cloaked Bartow Municipal Airport.
John Shannon accelerated down the runway about 7:15 a.m. Authorities believe he made it into the air briefly before plunging back to the ground, the plane catching fire, everyone inside dead on impact.
"It breaks our heart," said Polk Sheriff Grady Judd, who called Shannon a personal friend.
Judd said investigators were not immediately sure what caused the plane crash, but the fog likely played a role. An airport employee happened to film part of the incident, the sheriff said, in disbelief "that they were taking off in this fog."
A sheriff’s pilot in a nearby hangar said conditions were not conducive to flying.
"I’m just stunned, I think like everybody else," said Ben Hardin, a close friend. "John was as fine and caring of a person as you would ever meet."
John Shannon was a longtime lawyer in Lakeland, handling injury, death and insurance cases, according to his website. He was president of the Republican Club of Lakeland and of the local Kiwanis Club. In 2014, he made an unsuccessful run for the state House of Representatives.
Friends said he always touted his daughters and their achievements.
Victoria Shannon Worthington was a teacher in Baltimore, according to Judd, and Olivia Shannon was a student at Southeastern University in Lakeland.
A Baltimore schools spokeswoman said Victoria taught fourth grade at Baltimore International Academy. Her husband was a third-year law student at the University of Maryland, Baltimore.
Krista Clayton, the family friend, was a teacher at Jewett Academy in Winter Haven, according to the sheriff. She had two children.
Victoria, who went by "Tori," and Worthington, filled their Facebook pages with photos of each other, clad in Clemson Tigers gear and at their wedding this year.
Family friends remembered that Olivia Shannon was often by her father’s side around town.
John Shannon was especially thrilled to have both daughters home for Christmas this year, Hardin said.
"His real love was his girls," said friend and former state Rep. Neil Combee. "He was mother and father to his girls."
Shannon talked about them often at local Kiwanis Club meetings, said Barbara Nivala, the organization’s secretary. She called him "the kind of member that every volunteer club needs and wants," eager to help and jump in on projects.
"I sometimes would think, ‘As an attorney, how in the world did he have enough time to do that?’?" Nivala said.
But the service organization was only part of Shannon’s work in Lakeland, friends said, and he also dedicated time to improving the local Republican club. This year, members said, he brought in speakers to share knowledge about infrastructure and other issues facing the region.
"He wanted to see Lakeland thrive," said Chad Davis, the club’s vice president. He said Shannon felt strongly that voters in the area "needed to know more about the issues and not just the people that are running."
A proud former Marine, friends described Shannon as an accomplished pilot who liked to take day trips in his plane. Combee recalled him frequently offering rides. After Hurricane Irma, friends said, he flew supplies to Key West.
Hardin said he once flew with Shannon to Tallahassee for a meeting of the Judicial Nominating Commission, to which they were both appointed by Gov. Rick Scott. He recalled Shannon being cautious in the cockpit and telling him not to talk as they prepared to take off.
Federal aviation records show Shannon got his private pilot’s certificate in 2010.
The National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the crash, and the Sheriff’s Office will investigate the deaths.
This holiday, Hardin said, Shannon had geared his schedule around the trip and his daughters, as usual. He planned to cook food for Christmas on Saturday so the family would have time for the getaway.
Source :
Five dead in Polk County plane crash, deputies say